If living in Japan has always been a goal for you right from the start, then you may have also thought about becoming a Japanese citizen. However, once you have been naturalized as a Japanese citizen, you may still apply for retention or re-acquisition of your lost Philippine citizenship if you can provide documents to attest that you are a natural Filipino-born citizen.
Japan offers great benefits to its citizens. Aside from free education and subsidized healthcare, you also get to live in a country with profound history and traditions as well as a uniquely Eastern culture. If you’ve considered all the pros and cons of ultimately settling here for good, but would also like to retain your Philippine citizenship as well as your children’s, if any, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Japan offers the following guide on how to apply for dual citizenship here in Japan. Read on to know more…
Applying for Dual Citizenship in Japan
Filipino citizens can apply for dual citizenship through the Philippine Embassy in Japan, provided that the applicant can establish and provide certain requirements to undergo this process.
Requirements
- A completely filled-out Application for Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Form
- Three (3) passport size coloured photographs in white background. Photos should sow the applicant’s front view, left- and right-side view (to be attached to the Application for Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition form)
- The original (must be marked “original seen and verified”) and photocopy of the following documents:
- Old Philippine passport
- NSO-authenticated birth certificate
- Voter’s ID card or voter’s affidavit
- Marriage Certificate (verifying the applicant’s Philippine citizenship)
- Any legal document that would verify that the applicant is a natural Filipino-born citizen, as deemed acceptable by the evaluating officer
- A copy of the applicant’s Certificate of Naturalization or in the absence of it, an affidavit which will detail the circumstances as to how the foreign citizenship was acquired.
Procedures
- Visit the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Japan in person and submit all the above-listed requirements to the consular officer.
- Take an oath and sign the “Oath of Allegiance” in the presence of the consular officer.
- Settle the corresponding fees for the application and issuance of the Identification Certificate (IC) worth US$50.00 and an additional US$25.00 for every beneficiary included in the application.
- Once the application has been processed and evaluated, the General Consul will issue an Order of Approval which will be concurrently transmitted to the Bureau of Immigration in Manila.
Note: The IC issued to the applicant is under the rules and provisions of the Bureau of Immigration. Therefore, the applicant may choose to apply for a Philippine passport as well, if deemed applicable and necessary in his/her circumstances.
In the event that an application does not fulfil all the requirements needed, the applicant shall be duly notified within thirty (30) days upon receipt of notice of incomplete requirements, to submit the missing or any additional documents needed by the Bureau of Immigration, or else, the application will not be considered by the Embassy. If the documents submitted fail to establish the applicant’s citizenship ties to the Philippines, a notification letter from the Embassy will be sent to the applicant accordingly.